Razor



Patented May 7, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT* OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. LITTLE, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

nazca.

Application led August 8, 1927. Serial No. 211,485.

My invention relates to improvements in razors of the safety type.

The object of the invention is to provide a safety razor which shall shave cleaner,

` smoother and easier than heretofore; which shall provide means for not only holding the hairs against the cutting action of the blade, but will actually force or press the hairs against the edge of the blade in a manner to simulate the well known eective slanting cutting action of an ordinary razor.

In carryingout my invention I provide a guard for the blade which is movable, by the action of the razor upon the skin, in

such a manner as to force the hairs transversely to the forward travel of the razor over the face.

In the embodiment of my invention shown by the accompanying drawingsthis movable guard is in the form of a parallel screw, with a rather flat or blunt thread, rotatably mount- 'ed adjacent to the edge of the blade. The

screw serves as an effective guard taking the place of the comb-like guard commonl used,

and as the razor is drawn over the ace in A the act of shaving the screw rotates, and not only forces the hairs against the edge of the blade but also forces them to move longitudinally of the edge ofthe blade resulting in the ideal cutting movement.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to said drawings in whichzv Fig. 1, is a fragmentary, elevational view of the razor head and part of the handle;

Fig. 2, is an enlarged plan view of the razor head as seen from the bottom;

Fig. 3, is a transverse central section on the line3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4, is a longitudinal, central section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5, is a plan section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6, is a fragmentary, sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

In said drawings, 1 represents a head plate somewhat cylindrically shaped on its outer surface, which contacts with the face and provided with the usual centrally disposed guide pins 2 on its back. It is also provided with a central, threaded projection 3 for receiving the handle member 4 which is thread ed to cooperate with same to clamp the several parts of the razor together. I preferably plished make use of a very thin flexible blade 5, and the head plate is preferabl concave on its inner surface for receiving t is thin blade.

As so far described, the several parts are ofthe form and have the functions of simi lar parts in the commonly well known razors of this type. Instead of the usual clamping member which has fixed guard teeth and the function of which is to clamp the blade against the head by means of the screw handle, I provide a guard member 6 which takes the place of the' usual guard member but which is provided at its two opposite longitudinal edges with movable guards.' This guard'member is providedv with holes 7 for recelving the guide pins 2 and a central hole 8 for receiving the central threaded projection 3. The surface of the guard which is opposed to the head is similarly curved and the blade 5 is adapted to be flexed between these two parts when they are properly,

clamped together upon the blade.

The movable guards spoken of., in thefgrm of'my invention illustrated, consist ofscrwlike members 9, one mounted at each longitudinal edge of the guard member 6.' As best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, each of these movable guards is in the form of a rather shallow, square, thread screw 10 with fairly sharp, square edges 11. However,'the extreme edges are removed and the screw thread is made smooth. Each screw guard is rotatably mounted at its ends in bearing projections 12 extending out transversely at the ends of the guard member 6, the mounting being accomby driving bearing pins 13 into the ends of t e screw guards. No hole need be bored through the guard from end to end, but the hole for a pin, 13, need be com arativelyI short. Assembly is thus easy or it involves merely placing a guard between the pair of projections, 12, and then passing the, pin through the hole in the projection .and drivingl the pin into the hole or socket provided in the guard, driving bein necessary because, of course, a friction fit 1s required. Thus the pintles provided by the pins, 13, can be of substantial diameter and a good bearing is provided that results in the free rotation of the roller. No bending of the perforated lugs or projections is thus necessary in assembling the rotatable guards. This is important lbecause the concavo-co`n vex guard plate, 6,'1nay be a plate of substanor cutting away the same,

the revolution of tial thickness and of a metal not having enough elasticity or spring to allow bending of the perforated lugs or projections and so brittle that. the lugs would break under the pressure required to thrust the rotatable guards between the lugs. Accordingly such plate, 6, can be made by die-casting. As may best be seen by reference to Fig. 6, the rounding of the edges or corners of the thread results in the wideningof the `grooves outward between ad jacent'. threads and thus provides a flaring formation which facilitates the removal of masses of lather and hair that are bound to accumulate in the grooves and the action is a self-cleaning one because ofthe revolution of the guards as they pass over the face since the masses of lather and hair by the revolution of the guards are brought against the cutting edge of the blade. The peripheral surfaces of the thread are fiat and of substantial arca, notwithstanding the rounded corners or edges, so that comfortable bearing contact against the skin is as- L sured andthe lather is pressed against or Worked into the beard, giving the effect in preparing the lathered skin which is secured by the ingermanipulation or rubbing for working the lather into the beard and softening the beard. This extended peripheral area of the thread does not obstruct or prevent the use of the entire cutting edge ofv the blade from end to end as would be the case if fixed guard fingers, as with the ordinary safety razor, were employed because by the threaded guard, the threads are; in effect, shifted laterally of the blade edge and thus it is exposed throughout its length.

As will be noted, the bearing projections, 12, are formed at each edge of the concavoconvex guardplate, G, by centrally notching thereby forming a pair of said bearing projections at each edge i of the guard member. The guard member 6 the projections 12 in which the roller is of uniform thickness, and each of the threaded guard members, 9,l is of a diameter slightly less than the thickness of the guard member 6, so that, when centrally mounted in its notch, thereare projectingledges 0f the bearing projections which protect the rotatable guard members from injury duringuse.

As` best shown in Fig. 3, the screw guards 9 are arranged close to but not in contact with the cuttingedges 14 of the blade 5. In practice this clearance is attaincdby making the guard member 6 slightly thicker 4than the maximum diameter of the sciy ew guards 9 and then when the thin razor blades are clamped tightly against the convex surface of the guard member 6, the proper clearance is provided between the edges of the blade and the guard rollers. It is also to be noted that guards are mounted are the full thickness of the lather as it is removed from the face. In the form shown, the outer edges 6 ofthe guard member 6 are slanted inwardly at a rather sharp angle. This assists in the passage of the lather through the space between the roller and the Wall. The screw guards being freely rotatable, they are rotated in contact with the face as the razor is drawn along in the act of shaving-and the inclination of the screw threads forces the hairs transversely of the edge of the blade vlas the same is advancing upon the hairs. The result is, as has been expressed, the ideal easy cutting action of the slanting or inclined razor movements, and this is attained without any possiblity of cutting the skin as is sometimes done when the slanting cutis attempted with the usual safety razor.

As best-shown in Fig. 3, the projections 12 are slightly higher than ther guard and in clamping the blade in the holder the end portions of the blade are clamped against said projections, andl consequently the clearance between the screw guard and the edge of the blade is a lixed amount and is such as has been found to' be most effective in operation, being but a few thousandths of an inch. The position of the cutting edges 14 of the blade in reference to the rollers 19 is of considerable importance. These edges 14 should be positioned as shown at the minimum distance from the adjacent surfaces of the rollers. These positions might be .defined as upon lines radial to the outer curved surface of the guard member 6 and extending through the centers of the ,roller guards. If the edges eX- tend out beyond these lines or fall short thereof, the proper clearance between the edges and the rollers is not provided and the cutting suggest themselves to one razor guard comprising a plate of uniform thickness and having its opposite edges centrally notched to form a pair of bearing projections at each edge, and a cylindrical, externally threaded guard member rotatably mounted centrally between .each pair of these projections. This posi-- modifications thereof will of projections, the diameters of said rotatable guard members being slightly less than the thickness of said. convex late.

' 2. A safety razor guar comprising a plate having at opposite ends integral solid projections, with alining holes and an externall threaded roller guard situated between such projections and having at its ends pintles thatl enter theholes in the respective projections, the guard having at its end an axial hole to receive an extension of the pintler driven into such hole, pintles and guard turning together.

3. A safety razor guard comprising a plate having at opposite ends projections and a 15 the spaces between adjacent turns of the 20 thread being outwardly ared, and the bottoms of such spaces being Hat and of substantial area.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 21st day of June, 1927 WILLIAM F. LITTLE. 

